Young Designers Are in Their Post-Sneaker Era
Enough fake Nikes! It's time to put our foot down and admit that entire bootleg sneaker game is cooked like a dirty pair of all-white Air Force 1s. And, solidifying the shift away from copy and paste custom sneakers, young designers are shaping the post-sneaker era.
A quick clarification: I don't think sneakers are dead. What I'm saying is that era of young brands brands releasing ever-so-slightly-tweaked versions of iconic sneakers is crumbling like a never-worn pair of OG Air Jordans.
Whether it's Remagine Studios' genius Hybrid Derby shoes or Junya Watanabe's stunning New Balance 1960R loafers that tastefully blend together grandpa's favorite footwear, classic shoes — or at least classic shoe shapes — are suddenly the silhouette of choice for boundary-pushing brands.
Yet it wasn't too long ago when we saw a storm of both streetwear start-ups and established labels constantly pumping their own takes on popular Nike sneaker silhouettes.
In 2019, for example, the aptly-named brand Fugazi originally broke into the game with a "One In The Chamber" Air Jordan 1 parody, not the first AJ1 homage but certainly one of the most coveted.
Shortly after, Warren Lotas went viral for producing his own take on Nike SB's iconic Pigeon Dunk in 2020, a short-lived venture.
Clones of the Nike Dunk and Jordan 1 soon became so omnipresent that luxury brands were inspired follow suit.
Off-White™ introduced its first "Out of Office" sneaker in September 2020, clearly taking cues from Nike's Swoosh, while Amiri released the Skel Top the same year, an earnest attempt to dunk on the competition with luxurious leather.
By now, though, next-gen designers have officially moved away from this still-extant phenomena of slightly tweaked Nike designs gone luxe.
Instead, today's young designers have evolved (or devolved) to tackling classic menswear shoes.
As Fugazi has matured, for instance, its signature shoe is no longer bootleg Air Jordans but the "Two Cent Loafer," a cheeky take on gramp's classic penny loafers given a GORPy-edge by a chunky Vibram sole.
Really, it's the perfect shoe for sliding to dinner with your significant other's parents without slipping all over a wet subway station floor on your way there.
However, I personally despise how slip-on loafers lack shoelaces and can't be tightened for fit. Thankfully other young brands are addressing our need for innovative takes on classic footwear for stuffy occasions.
In late May, the emerging Los Angeles label Tombogo teamed up with New York's Esenes Worldwide to release a wingtip derby with a twist, literally.
There's a lot of tech meets prep going on in the footwear game right now and this "Versadial" derby by Tombogo and Esenes Worldwide brings it together.
Tombogo has been building a name for itself for some time by producing utilitarian menswear perfect for fashion nerds who can never have enough pockets on their pants.
Esenes Worldwide, meanwhile, has been consistently breaking the algorithm by releasing quirky re-interpretations of popular footwear styles, everything from Tabi Timbs to YEEZY-esque foam clogs shaped like the Pokémon Cubone.
These two brands coming together to release a wingtip with a cycling shoe inspired dial-lacing system? Send the location, so I can clip-in and bike to the drop faster than Inspector Gadget could fly there.
Now if you're not feeling these hybrid running sneaker loafers or derby shoes outfitted with functional doodads, don't fret.
Even indie labels like Basketcase and Orée are taking notes from more established footwear labels like Blackstock & Weber by releasing great, wearable pairs of classy leather footwear.
So what's the catalyst behind all these young brands leading the way for a post-sneaker world?
Well, while it's not the sole reason, it likely doesn't help that Nike's been serving as many lawsuits as it does Ls on the SNKRS App.
The footwear giant's legal team recently sued both large labels like BAPE and smaller designers like Kool Kiy for trademark infringement.
Trust that, if any young creative saw that news about one designer paying an $8 million settlement for a lawsuit in April , they'll likely stay clear of ever parodying or re-working a popular Nike shoe.
Hopefully, these indie labels will never have to step foot into court over copyright claims.
But if they ever do, perhaps a pair of techy wingtips could at least win them some style points.
